Those skilled in the art know that a vehicle has a suspension for supporting the upper part of the vehicle on the vehicle's axles. In some vehicles, a suspension on one side is independent from a suspension on the other side. Also, some suspensions utilize short and long mechanical arms (SLA), and/or air bag springs to provide support for the upper part of the vehicle.
Examples of relevant art involving vehicle suspensions are as follows. U.S. Pat. No. 3,630,541 to Carlson et al. teaches a vehicle axle suspension having a bracket 16 attached to a frame member 12. The bracket has a pivotal connection 18 for supporting a trailing arm 17. The axle is bolted to the trailing arm by two U-bolts. An air spring unit 19 is located between the trailing arm 17 and the frame.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,949 to Wallace et al. provides for a trailing arm suspension having a frame bracket assembly 18 attached to a frame member. A trailing arm 16 is pivotally attached to the frame bracket assembly 18. A clamping assembly 28 secures the axle below the trailing arm with a plurality of elongated bolts. An air spring assembly 22 is secured to the rear of the trailing arm between the trailing arm and the frame. A track bar 115 is attached to the frame to resist side-to-side motion. The track bar is not attached to the trailing arm.
However, a vehicle would benefit from a light weight and inexpensive independent rear suspension that utilizes SLA technology with an air bag spring.